“We will never tackle rough sleeping with studs in the pavement”

Crisis has responded to pictures on Twitter of ‘anti-homeless people studs’ outside a new building in London.

Katharine Sacks-Jones, head of policy and campaigns at Crisis, said: “It is a scandal that anyone should sleep on the streets in 21st century Britain. Yet over the last three years rough sleeping has risen steeply across the country and by a massive 75% in London. Behind these numbers are real people struggling with a lack of housing, cuts to benefits and cuts to homelessness services to help them rebuild their lives.

“They might have suffered a relationship breakdown, a bereavement or domestic abuse. They deserve better than to be moved on to the next doorway along the street. We will never tackle rough sleeping with studs in the pavement. Instead we must deal with the causes.”